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Welcome to English Through History. If you enjoy the content, please subscribe or leave us a review.

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It helps us to create more content and is appreciated by our small team here.

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We hope you enjoy today's episode. Conspiracy theories have existed for as long as humans have

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been around. I doubt there are any of us who have not, at some point, been confronted by a conspiracy

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theory of some sort or another. The perseverance of these theories is a strange aspect of human nature.

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It is often confounded academics and scholars who cite studies and dates to disprove the theory,

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yet still they persist. In today's episode, part one of a three-part series, we will be

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examining some of the most prevalent and strange conspiracy theories that have existed,

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and still do to some people throughout history. In no particular order, we will look at the first

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three on our list. We'll start with the Flat Earth theory. While the belief in a Flat Earth predates

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recorded history, it has persisted among certain groups, despite overwhelming scientific evidence

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to the contrary. Flat Earth conspiracy theorists reject the spherical earth model, claiming that

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governments, scientists, and space agencies are engaged in a vast conspiracy to conceal the truth.

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In ancient times, of course, the concept of a Flat Earth was taken for granted as the civilizations

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at the time lacked the technology to disprove it. After it was proven that the earth was round,

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the theory subsided for many years. However, in the 1950s Britain, a group of people started the

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Flat Earth Society, a fringe group that rejected scientific suggestions in this area. Initially

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small in number, by the 2000s the group went online and started to recruit members for around the

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globe. Here the modern Flat Earth theory started in earnest. Now, there are thousands of members,

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and even annual conventions. At the heart of the Flat Earth conspiracy lie a series of arguments

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that perpetually challenge the established scientific understanding of the earth's shape.

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One of the most common claims made by Flat Earthers is that there is no observable curvature to the

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earth's surface. They argue that if the earth were truly spherical, one should be able to see a

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distinct curvature from high vantage points, such as the top of the mountain or an airplane.

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Another argument put forth by Flat Earthers is the idea that gravity does not exist,

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and that objects are instead pulled downwards by a mysterious force called density.

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According to this line of thinking, objects with greater density sink, while less dense objects

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rise, thereby explaining phenomena like the apparent flatness of bodies of water.

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Celebrities that reportedly believe this conspiracy is the basketball player Kirae Irving,

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and now infamous influencer Tila Tequila. There was some propaganda in the times of the Enlightenment

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that the church propagated this myth, but there is no evidence religious texts, such as the bible

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suggests this, and there is no evidence for a religious movement that believes this, either.

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Why is this conspiracy still around? It's hard to say, but the range of mass media and social media

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allows like-minded people to share their ideas and suggestions, and an admittedly small portion of the

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global population still shares the belief in this ancient concept. Our next theory is called the

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Phantom Time Hypothesis. This theory proposes that a significant portion of recorded history,

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particularly the early Middle Ages, never actually occurred and was fabricated by medieval rulers,

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historians and scholars. Proponents of the hypothesis argue that the Gregorian calendar

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was intentionally manipulated to create the illusion of a longer historical timeline.

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Proposed by German historian Herbert Illig in the 1990s, this theory posits that these centuries

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were fabricated by Western scholars for political reasons, primarily to legitimize the rule of Emperor

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Otto the Third and to align his reign with the millennium. While the idea of missing or fabricated

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time may seem intriguing, it lacks substantial evidence and is widely regarded as inconsistent

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with historical methodology. At the core of the Phantom Time anomaly is the assertion that the

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historical record from the early Middle Ages is sparse and inconsistent, with a notable lack of

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archaeological evidence to support the existence of major events and figures during this period.

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Illig and proponents of this theory argue that artifacts, documents and architectural remains

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attributed to the missing years are either misstated or outright forgeries. One of the primary pieces

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of evidence cited in support of the Phantom Time anomaly is the perceived discrepancies in the

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Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory VIII in 1582. According to Illig, the calendar reform

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was part of a broader conspiracy to conceal the Phantom years and maintain the illusion of historical

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continuity. Critics of the Phantom Time anomaly also point to its reliance on selective

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interpretation and cherry-picked evidence to support a predetermined conclusion. By disregarding the

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vast body of scholarship and research on medieval history, proponents of this theory create a false

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impression of controversy where none exists. Additionally, the lack of consensus among historians

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and archaeologists further undermines the credibility of the Phantom Time anomaly, as the overwhelming

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majority of experts reject it as unfounded speculation. Our final theory for this episode is the Curse

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of the Pharaohs. Legends of a Curse associated with the tomb of King Tutankhamun and other ancient

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Egyptian tomes have fuelled conspiracy theories. Some believe that mysterious deaths and misfortunes

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experienced by individuals associated with the excavation and opening of the tomb are

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the result of a supernatural curse. The origins of the Curse can be traced back to the early 20th

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century, following the discovery of the tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

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As rulers of a curse circulated in the media, fuelled by the untimely deaths of several individuals

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associated with the expedition, the legend took hold in popular culture. However, the dates

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were later found to be unrelated to any curse, with most resulting from natural causes or accidents.

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Despite the lack of evidence supporting the Curse of the Pharaohs, it continues to persist in the

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public consciousness perpetuated by Hollywood films, television documentaries and sensationalist

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accounts. The allure of ancient mysteries and the mystique surrounding the Pharaohs contribute to

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the enduring appeal of this myth, even in the face of rational scepticism. From a historical

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perspective, the idea of a curse reflects broader cultural attitudes towards death, the afterlife

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and the supernatural in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians believed in an elaborate system of

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funerary rites and rituals designed to ensure the deceased's safe passage to the afterlife. Tomes

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were filled with treasures, artifacts and inscriptions meant to aid the departed in the

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Jeremy to the realm of the gods. The notion of a curse may have served as a deterrent to grave

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robbers and tomb raiders who sought to plunder the riches buried with the pharaohs. By invoking the

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wrath of the gods and threatening divine punishment, the idea of a curse may have been intended to

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dissuade would-be desecrators from disturbing the sanctity of the tomes. This brings the

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conclusion of our first episode. We hope you have enjoyed this content. The next episode will explore

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more historical conspiracy theories and will be coming soon.